WRTG 1320 Assignment 3EXPLANATORY SYNTHESISFall, 2012 The Assignment You should have already chosen a topic chapter from Part II of the textbook on which to focus your research for the rest of the semester. Choose three texts from this chapter as source documents and write a four page explanatory synthesis essay that answers the question, “What information must the reader know in order to understand this topic, and why?”
This assignment is worth 15% of the total class grade; students must submit all major assignments and associated drafts in order to have the opportunity to pass the course.
How-to:
Do not focus on the larger, main topic (for example, Cloning), but on a subtopic common to all three texts. If you have chosen the chapter on “The Changing American Family,” for instance, you might draw upon three texts from that chapter to explore the topic of the father-child relationship.
You may substitute a cultural text for one of the texts from the chapter. For instance, you might choose to introduce “conversation” from a popular TV program, graphic novel, or film to two essays from the chapter.
Model your paper on the example found on page 173 of your text.
Please note the day and time of your Writing Center tutoring session in the first page header of the document.
Requirements:
Base your thesis on an idea that is clearly supported in all of your sources. Please highlight your thesis, and be sure it appears in the introduction of the essay. Also in the introduction, include the titles and authors of the sources you’ve chosen, and include relevant background information about the authors, text, or the general topic from which the texts are drawn.
Remember, in the explanatory thesis, you’re not looking for controversy. Strive for clarity and illumination as you “unfold or unravel” the topic. You are the moderator of the discussion taking place between the authors, and as such, you are to be objective.
Examine like elements together—do not compare the source documents separately (see the synthesis builder)
Write from the third-person point of view, and use the present tense. Essays using first or second person POV will receive a 5-point deduction in final grade.
Silver argues that… (not “I thought that” or “You will see that” or “Silver argued that”)
Cite all outside sources, include a Work Cited page, and prepare using MLA format. Failure to cite outside sources or include a work Cited page will result in a grade of F for the paper
Please ensure that the essay turned in for grading represents a significant revision to the first draft.
The final revision must measure a minimum of four full pages.
Suggested Resources:
Chapter One, “Active Critical Reading”
Chapter Two, “Responses, Paraphrases, Summaries, and Quotations”
Chapter Three, “Critical Analysis”
Chapter Six, “Synthesis”
Synthesis Builder
Criteria for Evaluation:
Accurately and ethically paraphrases and/or quotes from the original document
The thesis is present and supported by direct evidence from the source
Provides essential information about the source and authors
Indicates why readers should care about the topic
Synthesizes subtopics common to the source documents
Meets the requirements stated for the assignment
Other criteria previously stated in the course syllabus
A successful synthesis includes:
ACCURACY: an accurate report of information from the sources using different phrases and sentences not found in the original text.
ORGANIZATION: readers should be able to see immediately where the information from the sources overlap.
INTERPRETATION: a synthesis makes sense of the sources and helps the reader understand them in greater depth.
Due Dates for Writers:
Save the essay with your first initial followed by your last name and then the essay type: Example: SDoggSynthesis
Post your draft TO YOUR PERSONAL WIKI PAGE by the beginning of class on October 23.
Print one copy of your essay and bring it with you to class for read-around peer review. (Please see the syllabus for penalties for failure to have a draft on peer review day.)
Due Dates for Readers performing Peer Review:
Download your classmate’s essay.
Use the Peer Review Guidelines to make inline comments.
Include your name as peer reviewer at the end of your comments.
Print 1 copy of the essay you peer reviewed and bring it with you to class on October 30 (in order to get credit for having performed a peer review).
Final Due Dates: Your workshopped, revised essays are due for grading at the beginning of class on October 30. Upload these to your personal Wiki page with Final added to the document name: Example: SDoggSynthesisFinal
(Please see the syllabus for information about late submission of essay assignments.) Synthesis Builder:=====================>
Peer Review Instructions for one-on-one and Read Around peer review. Peer Review Questions for Explanatory Synthesis Essay
First, follow the general instructions found above. Then, find and label the following. Add notes to the writer as needed.
1. An opening that hooks the reader’s interest and provides sufficient background on the subject.----a. The opening does not “announce” or say what the paper “will do.”----b. The opening does not recount the student’s writing process.
2. A thesis statement that focuses on the articles and indicates the subtopics they address.
3. Topic sentences that introduce the topic of each paragraph and establish focus on articles -- before beginning to cite specific authors. (E.g.,Recently publishedarticlesonemphasize…. Most experts agree that….. Recent research on __shows …….)
4. Synthesis of 2 or more sources within each paragraph.
5. Sufficiently developed paragraphs using relevant information pertaining to the paragraph’s subtopic. Appropriate paragraph breaks. Remember, it's cool to have more than one paragraph per topic, as needed.
6. Discussion of the level of agreement/disagreement or emphasis among the authors on the topics.
7. Accurate representation of the authors’ ideas.
8. The student’s opinion of the articles, their authors, and the issues is not revealed. 9. 3rd person perspective maintained.
10. Effectively integrated quoted and paraphrased material, blended smoothly through the use of signal phrases. Positions or professions stated to establish authors’ credibility. (E.g., (Harvard economist Juliet Schor’s research shows that…. According to renowned urban theorist Richard Florida…)
11. No stacked quotes (two or more quotes one after the other, with little or no transitional material to contextualize or connect ideas)
12. Uses quotation marks, signal phrases, and parenthetical MLA citations correctly to clearly distinguish the various voices within the essay.
13. Uses MLA in-text citations correctly, always citing the author and page (if available) for all direct quotes and paraphrases.
14. Brings the paper to a close with a paragraph that explains overall what the authors say pertaining to the subject.
15. Four FULL pages?
16. Works Cited page?
Finally, what is working well, overall, in this draft? How could the paper meet the assignment guidelines more effectively?
The Assignment
You should have already chosen a topic chapter from Part II of the textbook on which to focus your research for the rest of the semester. Choose three texts from this chapter as source documents and write a four page explanatory synthesis essay that answers the question, “What information must the reader know in order to understand this topic, and why?”
This assignment is worth 15% of the total class grade; students must submit all major assignments and associated drafts in order to have the opportunity to pass the course.
How-to:
Requirements:
Silver argues that… (not “I thought that” or “You will see that” or “Silver argued that”)
Suggested Resources:
Criteria for Evaluation:
A successful synthesis includes:
Due Dates for Writers:
Due Dates for Readers performing Peer Review:
Final Due Dates:
Your workshopped, revised essays are due for grading at the beginning of class on October 30. Upload these to your personal Wiki page with Final added to the document name:
Example: SDoggSynthesisFinal
(Please see the syllabus for information about late submission of essay assignments.)
Synthesis Builder:=====================>
Peer Review Instructions for one-on-one and Read Around peer review.
Peer Review Questions for Explanatory Synthesis Essay
First, follow the general instructions found above. Then, find and label the following. Add notes to the writer as needed.
1. An opening that hooks the reader’s interest and provides sufficient background on the subject.----a. The opening does not “announce” or say what the paper “will do.”----b. The opening does not recount the student’s writing process.
2. A thesis statement that focuses on the articles and indicates the subtopics they address.
3. Topic sentences that introduce the topic of each paragraph and establish focus on articles -- before beginning to cite specific authors. (E.g.,Recently published articles on emphasize…. Most experts agree that….. Recent research on __ shows …….)
4. Synthesis of 2 or more sources within each paragraph.
5. Sufficiently developed paragraphs using relevant information pertaining to the paragraph’s subtopic. Appropriate paragraph breaks. Remember, it's cool to have more than one paragraph per topic, as needed.
6. Discussion of the level of agreement/disagreement or emphasis among the authors on the topics.
7. Accurate representation of the authors’ ideas.
8. The student’s opinion of the articles, their authors, and the issues is not revealed.
9. 3rd person perspective maintained.
10. Effectively integrated quoted and paraphrased material, blended smoothly through the use of signal phrases. Positions or professions stated to establish authors’ credibility. (E.g., (Harvard economist Juliet Schor’s research shows that…. According to renowned urban theorist Richard Florida…)
11. No stacked quotes (two or more quotes one after the other, with little or no transitional material to contextualize or connect ideas)
12. Uses quotation marks, signal phrases, and parenthetical MLA citations correctly to clearly distinguish the various voices within the essay.
13. Uses MLA in-text citations correctly, always citing the author and page (if available) for all direct quotes and paraphrases.
14. Brings the paper to a close with a paragraph that explains overall what the authors say pertaining to the subject.
15. Four FULL pages?
16. Works Cited page?
Finally, what is working well, overall, in this draft? How could the paper meet the assignment guidelines more effectively?